The transition through the Shard-barrier was rough. Without the smooth, automated navigation of the old system, The Echo of Wood groaned under the pressure of the inter-dimensional currents. Han gripped the manual steering lever, his knuckles white. The ship wasn't made of high-density polymers or self-healing alloys; it was timber, iron, and sweat. Every creak was a reminder of the 77th Variable: Materiality.
As he breached the atmosphere of the Indigo Shard, the first thing Han noticed was the lack of color. In the records, Indigo was described as a vibrant realm of flowing ink and glowing scrolls. Now, it looked like a world dipped in liquid nitrogen.
The Great Library Towers, which once reached for the clouds, were encased in a thick layer of translucent, violet crystal. The sky was
